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Looks like I will be seeing Gina, who sat for so long in Tsukuba with me (and now is doing some UN work) and Oheso/Richard ( from Brooklyn, said with the appropriate accent ) Friday evening for a meal and a bit of Zazen in Central Park, NYC. (I need to leave early, as Leon and I have tickets to the Mostly Mozart at the Met). I think it unlikely that I will be able to netcast that sitting if we sit, but I will post some photos ... and you are all there in heart.

After that, on the morning of Sunday August 3rd, New York time (I will try to announce the exact hour soon), our Daijo has arranged for me to spend the night and offer a small sitting and talk at the Sangha of White Plum Teacher Paul Genki Kahn in New Jersey, a Dharma Heir of Bernie Glassman and one of the folks at the forefront of Engaged Buddhism ...

I believe that our start time for the Sitting and Talk with me will be about 9:30am, Sunday morning NYT for about an hour or so, however I am asking Genki if we can also netcast his groups Morning Chanting and Sitting which begins from 8am. I will report back when I hear.

Roshi Paul Genki Kahn is founder and Spiritual Director of ZEN GARLAND: A Community Order for Zen Practice, Education & Service, in Wyckoff, New Jersey, USA.
Genki began dedicated yoga and meditation practice in the 1960s. In 1970 he entered residential Zen training with Aitken Roshi in Hawaii. He transferred to the Zen Center of Los Angeles in 1972 to become amonk and priest under Taizan Maezumi Roshi, served as his personal attendant, and was the Director of Training there. In 1980 he came to New York with Roshi Bernie to establish what has become the Greyston Mandala. He received Final Vows as a Priest from Roshi Dennis Genpo Merzel. He is a Dharma Successor of Roshi Tetsugen Bernie Glassman and received Inka from him. He is a member of the White Plum Asanga.

Roshi Genki founded HMCLZC in 2004 with Sensei Ann Ankai Wagner and Sensei Bill Jikai Greenberg to bring a full range of contemporary Zen training to the greater metropolitan area. He is focusing his efforts on developing Socially Engaged Buddhism in the West, and providing thorough training paths for Zen practice both in lay and ordination paths.
Genki has served as President and Vice-Spiritual Director of the Zen Peacemakers in Montague, MA. He was also Executive Director of the Zen Peacemakers Sangha.

Over the past 25 years, Genki has designed and administered public and private mental health programs for disadvantaged people in New York and New Jersey. He pioneered quality treatment for persons with co-occurring conditions of mental illness and drug and alcohol addictions. During the crack wars in the South Bronx in the early ’90s, he created the MICA Program at Fordham Tremont Community Mental Health Center, that today still treats over 100 people daily.

I can't speak for Genki Roshi, but I believe he'll be more than open to the idea. He seems very open to the "dropping of here and now", as many of his students work with him only on skype. From my conversations with him, I think he's pretty fascinated by the treeleaf model.

Of course, I could be completely wrong. He might think we're all nuts.

Zen Garland welcomes a Guest Teacher
this coming Sunday, August 3rd at the Sanctuary.

Zen Teacher Jundo James Cohen is living and teaching in Japan. Currently he is visiting his American Zen students. He will be our guest this Saturday night and he and his son will participate in our Sunday morning service and zazen.

Genki has invited Jundo to give a Dharma talk at 9:45am. Please join us for this special opportunity.

Jundo James Cohen, the founder of the Treeleaf Zendo, was ordained by and received Dharma Transmission from Master Gudo Wafu Nishijima. Jundo is a translator of Japanese and writer, and is a member of the American Zen Teachers Association and the Soto Zen Buddhist Association. He leads sitting groups in both Japan and the United States. Jundo began Zen practice in 1980, has lived in Japan for most years since that time, and was for many years a lay student of Azuma Ikuo Roshi at Soji-ji Dai-Honzan. He is also a retired attorney, married to a lovely Japanese woman who is an Ai-ki-do practitioner, and is the father of (soon to be) two small children, and this believes that the hard borders between ordained priest and householder have long been vanishing in Soto Zen. "Our practice, after all, is for living in the world," he writes.

"The last 96 hours have witnessed some of the most profound moments of my entire life and there is no way I could do any justice to a description of those events right now. I am so mentally spent that in every moment I am either falling asleep or on the verge of tears (happy ones!). To everyone who was a part of that, whether in the flesh or in my thoughts, a sincere and humble thanks to you all. From Jundo and Leon, to my Canadian friends, to my family, to my sangha, and even to the toll takers and wait staff: Thank you all SO MUCH for being a part of it. If you have even the slightest idea of what I am writing about, trust me, you were a part of that experience. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, I love you all."

I dropped Jundo and Leon off at the train station this morning in a light rain before dawn. I don't know whether Jundo was just in a hurry or he found it as hard as I did to say goodbye, but if it had been any longer I would have started crying like a baby.

I truly do love you all and want you to know, with no exaggeration, you have saved my life.

In the coming days I will try to put more words to this experience, but for now that's all I can muster.

Deep bows.

Gassho,
Dosho

Ordained Priest -In-TrainingPlease take what I say with a grain of salt,
especially in matters of the Dharma!

Deep bows to you Dosho ... when I read your words I truly felt them in my heart! Thank you for sharing this experience with us and thank you for being such a beautiful part of this sangha, this family! =)

Gassho
Shingen

RINDO SHINGEN
倫道 真現

As a trainee priest, please take any commentary by me on matters of the Dharma with a pinch of salt.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Please take all my comments with a grain of salt - I am a novice priest and anything I say is to be taken with a good dose of skepticism - Shodo Yugen

"The last 96 hours have witnessed some of the most profound moments of my entire life and there is no way I could do any justice to a description of those events right now. I am so mentally spent that in every moment I am either falling asleep or on the verge of tears (happy ones!). To everyone who was a part of that, whether in the flesh or in my thoughts, a sincere and humble thanks to you all. From Jundo and Leon, to my Canadian friends, to my family, to my sangha, and even to the toll takers and wait staff: Thank you all SO MUCH for being a part of it. If you have even the slightest idea of what I am writing about, trust me, you were a part of that experience. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, I love you all."

I dropped Jundo and Leon off at the train station this morning in a light rain before dawn. I don't know whether Jundo was just in a hurry or he found it as hard as I did to say goodbye, but if it had been any longer I would have started crying like a baby.

I truly do love you all and want you to know, with no exaggeration, you have saved my life.

In the coming days I will try to put more words to this experience, but for now that's all I can muster.

Deep bows.

Gassho,
Dosho

Hi Dosho... It was wonderful to meet you in Niagara. I enjoyed your company and really treasure our practice together. I was pretty pumped before you guys arrived. This has been a turning point for me in this crazy sangha of misfits (like me).

I had a lovely visit and a few moments of Zazen with Gina, our old regular at the Zazenkais in Tsukuba. She is now working at the UN as part of the delegation, alhough just a temporary internship. Wow, sounds exciting! She says "hi" to all.

Richard/Oheso who was to join us suddenly was detained at work. He sat with us in spirit.

Hi Dosho... It was wonderful to meet you in Niagara. I enjoyed your company and really treasure our practice together. I was pretty pumped before you guys arrived. This has been a turning point for me in this crazy sangha of misfits (like me).

Deep bows

Daizan

I sit in wonder at this energy.
In deep gassho to Jundo and this sangha.

"Know that the practice of zazen is the complete path of buddha-dharma and nothing can be compared to it....it is not the practice of one or two buddhas but all the buddha ancestors practice this way."
Dogen zenji in Bendowa

I had a lovely visit and a few moments of Zazen with Gina, our old regular at the Zazenkais in Tsukuba. She is now working at the UN as part of the delegation, alhough just a temporary internship. Wow, sounds exciting! She says "hi" to all.

Richard/Oheso who was to join us suddenly was detained at work. He sat with us in spirit.

Gassho, J

Great picture - seem to remember Gina had a very nice voice when chanting.

Our Zazenkai with Genki Roshi will begin about 9 hours from now, at the following times ...
SUNDAY August 2: ZAZENKAI at Zen Garland - Starting New York 8am, Los Angeles 5am, London 1pm and Paris 2pm

It will begin with Genki Roshi leading their Morning Service, followed by some periods of Zazen (I am not sure of the length of their sitting) and Kinhin, followed about 90 minutes after the start (about 9:30 New York Time) by a little Dharma Talk by me (Jundo), finishing I believe (?) about 10:30 New York Time.

I would love to have a big Treeleaf Turnout at Google+ to Represent Us. Can you make it?

The video link will be posted a few minutes prior to the Zazenkai start.

Gassho, Jundo

Originally Posted by Jundo

Just an update ...

Looks like I will be seeing Gina, who sat for so long in Tsukuba with me (and now is doing some UN work) and Oheso/Richard ( from Brooklyn, said with the appropriate accent ) Friday evening for a meal and a bit of Zazen in Central Park, NYC. (I need to leave early, as Leon and I have tickets to the Mostly Mozart at the Met). I think it unlikely that I will be able to netcast that sitting if we sit, but I will post some photos ... and you are all there in heart.

After that, on the morning of Sunday August 3rd, New York time (I will try to announce the exact hour soon), our Daijo has arranged for me to spend the night and offer a small sitting and talk at the Sangha of White Plum Teacher Paul Genki Kahn in New Jersey, a Dharma Heir of Bernie Glassman and one of the folks at the forefront of Engaged Buddhism ...

I believe that our start time for the Sitting and Talk with me will be about 9:30am, Sunday morning NYT for about an hour or so, however I am asking Genki if we can also netcast his groups Morning Chanting and Sitting which begins from 8am. I will report back when I hear.

Jundo I' ll do my best to be there.
I don't know how long will I last, because it's the time when my kids wake up and my wife is on travel.
I'll be there, but can not be sure if I will be able to sit all the event long.
Maybe I will listen to your talk while cooking or so.

It was wonderful to introduce my first teacher (Jundo) to my new teacher Genmitsu Roshi. We really had a wonderful experience. After a tour of the Zen Garland Sanctuary I brought Jundo and Leon back to lovely New Jersey for a hike on the Appalachian Trail with a few other Zen Garland sangha members who could not attend Sunday services. We couldnt have asked for a more beautiful day to do it.

After that it was off to Brooklyn! More good times with Jundo, Leon, and my son Charlie. It was really great connecting with Jundo and getting the honor of meeting Leon. Safe travels to you both!